Cuba buries Fidel, vows to defend his revolution
BIDDING ADIEU Raul says there will be no naming of monuments after his brother
Fidel Castro’s ashes were entombed in a massive stone next to national heroes on Sunday, as Cuba opens a new era without the communist leader who ruled for decades.
The cedar urn was placed inside the tall round stone near the mausoleums of 19th century independence icon Jose Marti and comrades of Fidel’s rebellion in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba. Capping a week of massive tributes, a simple, dark green marble plaque bearing just his first name -- “Fidel” -- was placed over the niche following a private ceremony at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery.
Fidel died on November 25. The burial marked the end of nine days of national mourning.
President Raul Castro pledged to uphold his brother Fidel’s socialist revolution at a massive rally in honour of the communist icon before his burial.
Tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters recited the oath with Castro at the Revolution Plaza of Santiago de Cuba, the cradle of Fidel’s guerrilla struggle. “He demonstrated that yes we could, yes we can, yes we will overcome any obstacle, threat, turbulence in our firm resolve to build socialism in Cuba,”he said.
“In front of Fidel’s remains ... we swear to defend the fatherland and socialism,” said Castro, who took over when his brother fell ill in 2006. Castro also announced that Cuba will prohibit the naming of streets and monuments after Fidel, and bar the construction of statues of the former leader and revolutionary icon in keeping with his desire to avoid a cult of personality.
“The leader of the revolution rejected any manifestation of a cult of personality and was consistent in that through the last hours of his life, insisting that, once dead, his name and likeness would never be used on institutions, streets, parks or other public sites, and that busts, statutes or other forms of tribute would never be erected,” Castro said.
Fidel and his leftist revolutionaries claimed Marti’s mantle upon overthrowing a US-backed regime in 1959 and later married Marti’s ideals to their brand of Soviet communism, enraging other nationalists, anti-communists and Cuban exiles who also claim Marti as their own.